The human experience is not what it used to be
The human experience is not what it used to be. An ever growing portion of our lives is spent online, inside a virtual reality bubble of sorts, created to us by algorithms.
We are more aware than ever on what’s going on with our friends, colleagues and family members. You can thank the algorithmic addictions that make you spend multiple hours every day online, in a virtual reality that includes the digital duplicates of people you care about.
Our daily experiences in the base reality are shaped by our desires to share them in this virtual reality. We visit specific coffee shops, venues and travel destinations to post pictures to our virtual following. This is an unconscious process controlled by algorithms that influence you.
Your life is already controlled by algorithms
We might not realize it, as it is so subtle, but the choices we make on daily basis are increasingly informed and decided for us by commercially interested parties with their algorithms.
Do you use the ratings on Google, Yelp, Tripadvisor or Foursquare to choose the place to have your coffee or lunch on? You are driven by a commercial algorithm.
Do you choose your holiday destination based on recommendations or deals from travel-related search engines like Expedia, Kayak, Momondo or others? Your holidays are decided for you by an algorithm.
Your worldview is shaped by algorithms
Do you read most of your news from social media feeds, linked to by people you care about? Your worldview is being shaped by an algorithm.
The politics of today are debated on online forums, in the convenience of filter bubbles that make most people discussing with us agree with our points of view.
If, by accident, a person from outside your bubble shows up and makes an opposing comment, do you hit the ban hammer without much of a thought? You are enforcing the algorithm.
All of this begs the question: what does it mean to be human in today’s world?
Are we just fleshbots driven by algorithms to make money to the shareholders of the companies behind these algorithms?
Or sheep driven by politically interested parties towards their goals, which are designed not to help you, but rather to cement the power of the party?
We need to imagine our future in the virtual world
It is all too easy to think that we should escape this virtual reality we are in, and go back to the old days, where we showed up unannounced at a friend’s door for a cup of coffee, or discussed about the life and the world events in person at local clubs and churches.
The world of today does not recognize any other kind of influence than digital influence. Nothing else scales to create any kind of impact. People spend their time already in the virtual reality, so getting their time on the base reality is becoming ever harder.
We need to start thinking how we can evolve the virtual reality we are in towards a place where we can be ourselves. A place, where we can expand our horizons.
A world, where our greed for money and power does not lead into mass enslavement of large populations to digital distractions. A world, where your identity is not defined by outside forces like nation states.
We can’t live without internet anymore. But can we make the new virtual reality we live in a place that is better for us than the base reality we used to experience?
Time will tell.
Berlin, 16.12.2018
Mikko Alasaarela
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